SHARE

Broncos hire former Panthers coach John Fox

ENGLEWOOD — John Fox turned around a bumbling team before. The Denver Broncos are counting on him to do it again.

Fox was picked over four other candidates to replace Josh McDaniels, who was fired Dec. 6 amid the Broncos’ worst slide in four decades and the embarrassing Spygate II videotaping scandal.

The lost season led to a restructuring of the front office and the return of Hall of Famer John Elway as chief football executive. Today, Elway hired Fox, the 55-year-old former Carolina Panthers coach.

Elway wrote on Twitter in announcing the hiring that Fox “is a dynamic and proven leader who will energize our entire organization.”

“I am very thankful to Pat Bowlen and John Elway for giving me the opportunity to coach a football team with such a proud tradition,” Fox said in a statement. “The Broncos have a culture of winning, and I am excited to continue that legacy. I can’t wait to get to work.”

And his task seems as high and steep as the biggest peaks in the Rocky Mountains.

The Broncos are coming off a franchise-worst 4-12 season, own the second overall pick in the draft and are is need of a major overhaul — much like the Panthers were when Fox arrived in 2002 following a 1-15 season.

He led them to a 7-9 mark in his first year before guiding them to the Super Bowl in his second season.

“I think the rebuild probably is going to require a little bit more on defense than offense but you know, I think I have a blueprint that we executed in Carolina and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work here in Denver,” Fox said before his interview with the Broncos on Wednesday.

Fox went 78-74 including playoffs in nine seasons with the Panthers, who didn’t renew his contract following an NFL-worst 2-14 season in 2010. Fox led the Panthers to the 2004 Super Bowl.